Comments on: Portland's Seemingly Never-Ending Light Rail Program Keeps Growing

By: EngineerScotty

EngineerScotty — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 23:08:20 +0000

While this line won’t go down a freeway corridor; much of the line WILL run parallel to the UP main freight line.

And it likely will be an extension of the green or yellow lines (both of which will soon run down the transit mall downtown), not a new color.

By: Yonah Freemark

Yonah Freemark — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 09:16:18 +0000

Michael – thanks for the correction re: sales tax.

Jason – the Map is Tri-Met’s – Not sure why they kept the Yellow line on the east/west alignment.

Jon – Sixth constructed line, but fifth service line (by color).

By: jon

jon — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 01:49:51 +0000

minor point but this is the region’s 6th light rail line not 5th line…
eastside/banfield max – 1986
westside max – 1998
airport max – 2001
interstate max – 2004
i-205 & portland mall max – 2009
milwaukie max – 2015?

the big question is what major max line comes after this, as a result metro is undergoing a high capacity transit plan for the whole region

be sure to check out the build your own transit system tool…
http://www.metro-goingplaces.org/bast/

i dont think sales tax is all that bad of a way to pay for transit infrastructure afterall voters dont seem to have much of a problem funding new transit lines with sales taxes. sales tax for transit operations is a whole other issue though.

By: Jason

Jason — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 01:10:51 +0000

I’ve read that in service it will almost certainly carry the yellow line designation.

Also not that the map is slightly inaccurate. The yellow line will follow the N/S downtown alignment. (It currently follows the E/W.)

By: tom veil

tom veil — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 18:16:34 +0000

Curious that it’s not considered an extension of the Yellow Line, but that’s a minor quibble. Go Portland!

By: Michael Wolfe

Michael Wolfe — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 17:35:49 +0000

Oregon doesn’t have a sales tax, and so transit isn’t funded through a sales tax. Most of Tri-Met’s funding comes from a payroll tax. While Tri-Met is facing a shortfall in operating funds, that’s one reason why they’re better off than most transit agencies in the country.

Also, while the blue line spends a fair amount of the distance that it covers in a freeway ROW, it is less than half, and only four of the blue line stations (Sunset, Hollywood, 60th (my stop) and 82nd) are on the freeway portions of the line. Interestingly, there actually is some TOD around the Hollywood and the 60th stations.